The stage is set in Mumbai for a do-or-die battle as India face England in the second semifinal of the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Thursday. Both sides are aware that a mistake would put them out of the tournament. For one side, the journey will end in heartbreak, and for the other, the dream of lifting the trophy will have one more chance. Interestingly, India and England have met in the semifinals of the last two editions of the T20 World Cup, and the winner of those encounters went on to win the title.

Looking at England, they have largely delivered, even if their victories have not always been convincing. They finished second in Group C. They only suffered one defeat against West Indies; otherwise, their campaign has been promising. Once the tournament progressed to the Super 8 stage, England shifted gears, remaining unbeaten and securing their place in a fifth consecutive T20 World Cup semifinal. One area that continues to concern England, however, is their opening partnership.

The openers have struggled to impose themselves, managing only 187 runs combined throughout the tournament. Still, England have found stability through their middle order. Time and again, the middle-order batters have stepped in to rebuild innings and guide the team to victories. Talking about defending champions India, they have also fought their way into the semifinal, marking their third consecutive appearance at this stage of the tournament.

Like England, India are chasing their third T20 World Cup crown. India began their campaign strongly, topping Group A. However, their momentum was abruptly halted in the Super 8 stage when they suffered a heavy defeat against South Africa. Nonetheless, India responded with determination with crucial victories over Zimbabwe and West Indies to ensure their place in the semifinal. One of India’s greatest strengths throughout the tournament has been the ability of individuals to step up at key moments. And it was seen during the virtual quarterfinal against West Indies, where Sanju Samson produced one of the tournament’s standout innings. His unbeaten 97 guided India to a crucial victory and secured their place in the final four. Now, both sides would hope to perform brilliantly to book a place in the final.

Head-to-head

Matches - 29

IND won - 17

ENG won - 12

India Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy

England Probable XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid